Audio-Technica - AT-LPW40WN

Purchased this Audio-Technica AT-LPW40WN Turntable from John Lewis with some trepidation. This was because over the past 2 years the deliver service I received from JL was appalling. However, on this occasion the delivery was first class. The Audio-Technica AT-LPW40WN Turntable arrived within 48 hours.I had been looking for a replacement turntable for over six months and had made a decision to use an Audio Technica product. However, I was finding it difficult to find a supplier who had available stock of any suitable AT turntables. Even JL stock was limited but the AT-LPW 40 was available.Upon unpacking, it became clear that this turntable is a very pleasing design. The lack of black plastic and its clean minimal lines and solid wooden appearance makes it suitable ... MorePurchased this Audio-Technica AT-LPW40WN Turntable from John Lewis with some trepidation. This was because over the past 2 years the deliver service I received from JL was appalling. However, on this occasion the delivery was first class. The Audio-Technica AT-LPW40WN Turntable arrived within 48 hours.I had been looking for a replacement turntable for over six months and had made a decision to use an Audio Technica product. However, I was finding it difficult to find a supplier who had available stock of any suitable AT turntables. Even JL stock was limited but the AT-LPW 40 was available.Upon unpacking, it became clear that this turntable is a very pleasing design. The lack of black plastic and its clean minimal lines and solid wooden appearance makes it suitable to be placed in any living room setting. It was placed on an oak cabinet and it blended in perfectly.Setting the deck up was reasonable straightforward although I am very familiar with this process. I would suggest that a stylus balance is to hand in order to setup the stylus tracking weight accurately. I was not happy with the way AT suggested this should be done without the use of such a device. Upon connecting the turntable to my audio system (I did not use the inbuilt phono amp but used an external ART Phono Plus preamplifier) I was immediately impressed how quite the deck was a vinyl LP sitting on the turntable arm resting on the disk but not spinning. There was no hum, no hiss when the volume was turned to max. When the vinyl disc was played which had unmodulated groves, there was no rumble. A far cry from my old deck.The AT -VM95E cartridge is already well received in the audio hifi arena and it is well suited for this turntable / arm setup. It tracked the test records without issue and was stable even when tracking highly modulated pressings. The first LP to spin on the AT-LPW40WN was the Simon and Garfunkel Bridge over Trouble Water. Track 1 of this LP is an excellent test track as the dynamic range of this track is large. At about three and half minutes into the track the sound level which up until that point were restrained builds up dramatically and delivers a powerful base string passage supported by a base drum that can almost be felt. The AT-LPW40WN rendered this track perfectly and then coped with a rise in overall volume. It was easy to pick out the lyrics "Sail on silver girl sail on by" while still feeling the accoupling music score, a task that would be difficult for most sub £300 turntables.A beautiful looking turntable which produces a great sound. Highly recommended

Setting up and connecting to my speaker system was simple (which I needed it to be!) The sound was absolutely incredible. I am so happy with the LPW40WN. Thank you Audio Technica for giving my vinyls a renewed lease of life.

The unit is well made, look and feel are first rate. The wood effect may not be for everyone but this in no way looks a cheap compromise and really adds to the quality of the unit. Ensure you watch YouTube to balance the arm, the video from Audiotechnica is easy to follow. One tip, connect the supplied earth cable to your hifi unit (if you don't have a connection point don't worry, I managed to attach to the side of a Denon unit). Using the earth cable removes any annoying feedback and static, which you get from cheaper turntables. Sound quality is fantastic, we immediately heard instruments on track's not previously picked out on our original turntable. Love the fact that we can also change the head for more advanced sound later down the line. If you are on a Vinyl ... MoreThe unit is well made, look and feel are first rate. The wood effect may not be for everyone but this in no way looks a cheap compromise and really adds to the quality of the unit. Ensure you watch YouTube to balance the arm, the video from Audiotechnica is easy to follow. One tip, connect the supplied earth cable to your hifi unit (if you don't have a connection point don't worry, I managed to attach to the side of a Denon unit). Using the earth cable removes any annoying feedback and static, which you get from cheaper turntables. Sound quality is fantastic, we immediately heard instruments on track's not previously picked out on our original turntable. Love the fact that we can also change the head for more advanced sound later down the line. If you are on a Vinyl collection journey and want to move on from first turntable but don't want to spend vast amounts on the Audiophile elites, this unit will not let you down.